Monday, May 28, 2012

I am landlocked this beautiful Memorial Day weekend but I did get a little taste of tropical/nautical eye candy. (I am sitting on a fabulous screened porch enjoying sunshine, iced tea and a good breeze so it's not all that bad!!) These are a couple of shots from the hand painted, yes hand-painted, dressing rooms at the new Lilly Pulitzer store at Phipps Plaza in ATL. This is a fabulous and simple zig zaggy, stripey, hand-painted design that would look good in any colorway and would be fun and easy to reproduce. It was super cute but even better were ...

... the walls in this coral, to-die-for dressing room!!!

The cute, little, Lilly-dressed sales girls said I could move in when I asked if I could just live in that dressing room. These are really large rooms that are hand-painted. I didn't snap a picture of one of the others but it was the Georgia Peach Toile hand-painted all over the walls and ceiling of the dressing room.I've always loved Lilly for the beachy designs and colors and College Girl is addicted to Lilly so this was a fun afternoon of oohing and ahhing and they encourage you to snap pictures if you wish!! It's the happiest store (and this is huge for me to say because I am not a shopper and really don't love a trip to the mall!!)Before I fell in love with this dressing room my favorite Lilly store decor was the giant, practically life-sized Palm Tree sewn from Lilly fabrics in the Lilly store on King Street in Charleston, SC. But now I am obsessed with these walls :)It's worth the time to visit Lilly at Phipps and check out these handpainted walls!! I'm feeling inspired to try a canvas knock off of my favorite Lilly dressing room. I'll let you know how it turns out!!!

Saturday, May 26, 2012

We are off for a busy weekend of Graduation parties. College Girl came home to see some of her faves at their parties!! For years this card has been my "standard" graduation gift. They really want/need/love getting money (and take it from a mom who is paying for college right now - they always need some cash!!)I create a little grad cap from scrapbook paper and a diploma from cash!! Sometimes I use their school colors and sometimes I just stick to classic black and white. Depends on how many of these I am cranking out!! ( The black strip at the bottom is just temporarily covering our name! )

I use this neat little punch to make the holes for the ribbon to thread through.I've had it forever.

Here is a blurry side view to give you an idea how I put it all together.

And because she is a special friend, a little something extra... bet you can't guess where she's headed in the Fall!!

Thursday, May 24, 2012

I've been a little MIA from the blog but I've been super busy... what I said is true. I have been running around getting ready for Summer at work. Literally hundreds of children will be involved in our programs in the next few weeks ( School is out here!!) so I am getting everything organized.The stacks of Dick Blick canvases are waiting for little artists.

And then my favorite art materials - recycled items. (One Man's trash is another man's treasure or at least art supply!) Oh, the art it will become - sounds like a Dr. Seuss story on found art!

I have been sorting and organizing all the items that parents have brought in to me. You can learn a lot from people's trash.I feel like an anthropologist or something. I have found that overall we eat healthy cereals - only one sugary cereal box in the stack ( or maybe people are embarrassed by the amount of sugary cereal they eat and are recycling those at home?) Paper towel tubes are easy to organize but toilet paper tubes are all over the place (at least when you are collecting hundreds - yep, like 500.) And all toilet paper tubes are not the same length or diameter - who knew? AND, toilet paper tubes being used in art projects cause children to howl with laughter if there is one speck of toilet paper left on the roll. True story. And no, I do not know why!

And then my all time favorite recycled art supply ..... lots and lots of bottle caps!!! I have used them in project after project after project. ( BTW, we drink a lot of Gatorade and OJ - for those of you interested in my anthropological findings.)

College Girl came home for a few days and spent a whole day in my office turning big boxes of lids in to this awesome color co-ordinated spot. She did this last week and the cardboard box of mixed lids on the end have come in since!!! When I send out the "all call" for lids my people take me seriously!!! But we use them just as fast!

In appreciation of all her sorting, we did have a nice lunch at a delicious pizza place on the Marietta Square. It was hot and sunny and we ate outside. After lunch, we strolled to the cupcakery across the square and polished off another trillion calories!! It was a delicious day!

I'm looking forward to posting pics of all the great projects we create from "one man's trash" in the next couple weeks !!

Monday, May 14, 2012

If you have children then you understand this... I have been saying this for years. I used to think that December was a crazy month but it has nothing on May!! May is NUTS!!!I'm still around but I have been in survival mode so here is a bit of randomness....

First, the college grads!! This is a name sign for a special friend who just got her teaching degree and certificate. This is for her first classroom and I know she'll find that perfect job very soon. Whoever hires her will be very lucky!! ( Sorry for the not-so-great picture. It came off her FB page as I forgot to snap any before I wrapped it.)What can I say?? It's May and May is NUTS!!!! I'll try to remember to share the High School grad gifts as soon as I finish those. It involves money because, believe me, that's what they need!!!

Next - a bajillion little churches for centerpieces at the 50th birthday celebration of our church. A little wood, scrapbook paper and Mod Podge. Done!

Burlap, of course. Spring-y things for front doors.

Fungus - haha! Mushrooms for the Mother- Daughter banquet at church. Again, pictures not so great but it's night. Apparently, fungus like cool and dark. Good thing because I ran out of daylight hours to get them painted. Bowls from the Dollar Tree, logs from our woodpile, and dots painted with spouncers. Pretty cute. It was a Woodland Fairy theme and these went home with someone. She asked if they could buy them she liked them so much. I gave them to her for her woodland garden so that her husband's gnomes have company. She was sooo happy - it's nice when a Dollar Tree bowl can make someones day :)

I did take time to stop and smell the flowers because the hydrangeas are a.maz.ing in ATL this year. The bushes are loaded with blooms.

And College Girl came home for a few days and we had a blast.!!! She needed to recharge and shop before Summer classes begin.

Yes, We are dog trainers extraordinaire!!! This is how our dogs react when I call their names.